Love Got No Reason
by Shannonlass1
Summary: FreddyKatie - The gang's in college, and moving on. But hidden feelings, secrets, and stories remain behind...
1. Chapter One

"Shit," Katie muttered, squinting her eyes in the direction of the alarm clock. The White Stripes was belting out from the speakers, and for once the sweet sound was like a harsh cacophony. The red digital letters read 5:15, and she paused for a moment to wonder why the hell she had set her clock to such an early hour. She instantly recalled: a new job at Starbucks. Seemed like an all right idea at the time...She groaned, stuffing a pillow over her face, just savoring the last few seconds of peace before she had to get up. With a sigh, she flipped over out of the sheets, stumbling a little bit as she reached forward to get her balance, and began her trek across the room.  
  
Despite Katie's status as a lowly, starving college student, her apartment was pretty nice and tastefully decorated. Surrounding her bed were wall-to-wall rock posters – The Beatles, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eric Clapton...next to the window overlooking the street was her boom box, record player, and collection of CDs and records stacked in a messy pile. Movie posters adorned the living room/kitchenette – Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, Almost Famous, The Big Sleep, and This Is Spinal Tap. A small refrigerator occupied the northern half of the apartment, including a combination sink-counter-cupboard against the wall. A large, brassy, out-of-place cappuccino machine sat on top (a present from her brother's girlfriend). She moved slowly towards the bathroom, still wiping the sleep out of her eyes as the White Stripes continued to jam. After tripping over Kel's stack of textbooks ("Dammit, what the hell, Kel..."), she made it into the bathroom and began getting ready.  
  
Kel was waiting for her in the kitchen when she came out approximately a half-hour later. The girl was perusing the newspaper between sips of orange juice. Katie breezed past her and reached for the coffee.  
  
"Morning, loser," Kel joked affectionately, her eyes never leaving the paper. Katie groaned.  
  
"It's not even light enough to be considered morning," she grumbled, even though she was already wide awake. How Kel managed to wake up every day at 4:30 and take a three mile jog was beyond her. "By the way, you might want to think about moving that humongous stack of books that's right in front of my bed. I trip over them every morning."  
  
"Sorry," Kel said. She skipped over, still dressed in her morning-ware of shorts and a tank top, and carried her books over to her bed. "So Starbucks, huh?" she said as she began rummaging through the refrigerator.  
  
"Yeah," Katie said, raising her eyebrows jokingly. She placed her left hand on the counter for balance, then began putting on her shoes.  
  
"Ooh, you look nice," Kel said teasingly as she surveyed Katie's outfit. Light blue button-down shirt which set off Katie's natural tan and dark complexion, black skirt that stopped right above her knee, and a pair of heeled Oxfords. The barest hint of makeup was apparent on her face, and she looked bright-eyed and awake.  
  
"Thanks, I guess," Katie shrugged, smiling a little. She swirled her coffee cup around in her hand, blowing on it. "I'm kind of nervous. The last time I had a job was in middle of my senior year."  
  
"Yeah?" Kel asked. She had cream cheese and bagels in her hand, and stuck the two halves of bread in the toaster. "What were you?"  
  
"I worked at a bookstore. For like two months."  
  
"What happened? You get fired?" Kel asked.  
  
"No, I quit. So anyways, my mom's been taking care of me all this time. I can't let her do that, you know?" she said earnestly. Kel nodded.  
  
"I remember when she wouldn't let you go to our Freshman Orientation Party that first week in freshman year," she said. "Your mom's real protective, huh," Kel said.  
  
"You have no idea," Katie gave her a look, and Kel laughed. "As my roomie, I find it very strange that we've gone through freshman, and now sophomore year and you still haven't met her. We have to get on that. But before then, I have a job I'm late for," Katie said. She downed the remainder of her cappuccino, grabbed her purse and keys, and opened the door.  
  
"Good luck girl!" Kel yelled after her.  
  
"Thanks!" was all that was heard before the slam.  
  
And a million miles down south it was just another Monday for Freddy Jones, because he was on a hangover wearing what he wore last night - his tie askew, shades down, and the last five buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. The weather was hot and fine, a little stuffy, but that was OK because the sun was out and he wasn't dead. He pulled into the university's parking lot, and saw the campus was teeming with energy already at the early hour. Parking the red Chevelle, which was grungy the way he liked it, he trotted up through the grass. His cigarette rested between his index and middle finger. The alcohol was still tinged on his tongue, despite his morning brushing and breath mints. He could taste it in his throat and it burned. As he crossed the lawn towards the entrance to the main building, he sensed a sudden shift towards him. His vision was clouded by long hair, tank tops, and pretty, girlish smiles.  
  
"Hey Freddy," the cute blonde on the left said. Ringlets, flip- flops, and silver bracelet.  
"Hey," he replied, tugging at his tie. He winked at her.  
"Hey there," vivacious redhead applying lip gloss, 9 o'clock.  
"What's up?" he said casually, flashing her a smile.  
"Freddy, how are you?" Group of girls on the stairs.  
"Not bad," he said smoothly.  
"Freddy Jones, where have you been all my life?" a sultry girl with dark brown, mermaid hair flowing down around her shoulders. She slid her hand up his arm and pouted sensually into his face. It was Nadia Murphy, notoriously known as one of the most attractive and dangerously curvy girls on campus. Once upon a time he flirted with her, dated her, and vaguely remembered sleeping with her. He smirked out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"Hanging on your every word," he said as he took her hand.  
  
"Call me," she mouthed as he breezed past her, unfazed. He gave her a wink – his signature Freddy Jones charm and carelessness in one – and sauntered by.  
  
He flung open the double doors with a lazy assurance and amused smirk.  
  
The deep-mahogany wood paneling of Florida's Terrence University shone cleanly in the morning shafts of light the fell in from outside. Taylor Hall was full of students getting their morning caffeine doses before class. Freddy skipped up the three flights of stairs to his first class, on the way enjoying the way the sunlight followed him everywhere. It was April in Orlando, hot as hell, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He went inside the huge auditorium that housed his Intro to Biology class, and took his signature second-to-last row seat.  
  
"Jones."  
  
"Keatings," Freddy said, taking off his sunglasses.  
  
"I can see by the slightly-fucked look in your eye that you went to Birch's party last night," Joey Keatings said matter-of-factly, jumping into the chair next to his. He smoothed down his tousled brown hair with his palm, and surveyed Freddy's disheveled state.  
  
"Yeah, and no one told me those Sunday parties really kick ass," Freddy responded idly, twirling a pen between his fingers.  
  
"Score any?"  
  
Freddy liked bluntness, but Joey really had a way of butchering the straightforward.  
  
"I don't know, Keats, use your imagination," Freddy said indifferently. He couldn't keep the edge out of his voice, though. Despite Keatings' lack of tact, he wasn't exactly wrong.  
  
"Damn..." Keatings said under his breath. "How do you do it?"  
  
Freddy smirked a little. Students were filtering in through the pair of double doors and sitting down. One petite brunette walked past with her friends, then took a double take and walked over.  
  
"Hey Freddy", she said happily.  
  
"Hey," he greeted her.  
  
"Birch's party was fun, huh?" she asked. She tilted a little to the side so that her left hip jutted out, and she took a casual stance.  
  
"Yeah, it was great," he conceded agreeably.  
  
"Well, I hope we meet up again sometime. It was nice seeing you. Later," she gave Joey and Freddy a final look, then rejoined her friends a few rows down.  
  
After she was out of earshot, Joey turned to Freddy, "Jones...you have no idea who that girl is, do you?"  
  
Freddy rubbed his fingers under his chin seriously, and then snickered.  
  
"No, I really don't," he said. "Hey man, I don't know what it is, either." He leaned back to stretch.  
  
"Whatever it is, it's magic," Keatings said, giving Freddy a pound with his fist. 


	2. Chapter Two

"Mocha Joe's, extra-whipped, non-fat, caramel, with everything on it!" Katie called over the regular din of Starbucks heaven.  
  
"Thanks," the woman said as she picked up her order, a straw, and several napkins.  
  
A long line snaked through the café out the front door and into the street. Katie had been swamped with customers' demands and was thoroughly exhausted, but tried to develop a rhythm for focus despite the pressure. It was just like playing bass. Forget about the drums and guitar and vocals, and just do your thing.  
  
The Starbucks on Main Street was the most popular of all coffeehouse chains in New York City. Katie had been trying to get a job there for weeks. The quirky, offbeat décor fit her style perfectly, and she was good with the public. Her manager, Talia, gave her a brief summary of what to do before the onslaught of people, but since Katie came late, the tutorial was even more brief than usual.  
  
"Hey! New girl!"  
  
Katie jumped at the sound of Talia's loud voice.  
  
"You've got customers over here, quick slacking!"  
  
Katie breathed heavily and greeted the next customer.  
  
"Welcome to Starbucks, how may I help you?" she asked, her eyes askance as she fiddled with her apron.  
  
"Hmm...this is my first time here. Can I get a recommendation?"  
  
"Well, everything's really great. This is my first time here, too. I go for the cappuccino usually-"she stopped short as she looked up and locked eyes with him.  
  
"Yeah?" he encouraged.  
  
Katie gave a little start. To say that he was gorgeous was an understatement.  
  
"Yeah...cappuccino's my favorite, but I guess... I don't know, everything's good. Pick randomly and wisely," Katie said, taking in his features with her eyes. Gray-green eyes. Tall. Brown hair slightly messy. Probably plays lacrosse. "I'd say...the Triple Caramel Latté, with a twist? It's pretty good," she offered. He smiled, and that made her happier than she'd been all day.  
  
"OK, sounds good," he agreed.  
  
"That'll be...no, you can have it on the house," she said. She was fairly aware that she was probably glowing and stupid, but it didn't matter.  
  
"What, are you kidding? No way. Here, take a $5," he insisted, holding out the money.  
  
"No, no. It's OK. I've always wanted to say 'it's on the house' anyways," she said, laughing.  
  
"All right, I ruin it," he laughed too. "You sure about it?" he gestured back to the fiver in his hand.  
  
"Definitely. I'll get your order," she said, heading to the back counter.  
  
"What's the order, Wagner?" her co-worker, Benito, called to her.  
  
"Huh?" she said distractedly, still watching the guy. There was no place to sit down, and so he leaned against the glass window. "Um...Triple Caramel Latté...with a twist," she said.  
  
Talia came up from behind her. She laughed. "Unbelievable. The girl meets Prince Charming on her first day. I've been working here, how long? Two years? And I still haven't found mine," she said, her New York accent thick and pronounced. She swatted a hand in front of Katie's face playfully. "Girlie, you're lucky. But don't count them chickens before they're hatched. And get back to work," she said, bumping her plump form into Katie teasingly before heading to the back again.  
  
"Right. Back to work," Katie muttered to herself. She strode up to the counter.  
  
"Hi, welcome to Starbucks, how may I help you?"  
  
Freddy made his way from Downing Hall, his casually slung bag over a shoulder, shades on. The day had gotten hotter since morning, and kids were lying all over the campus leisurely as they stretched and ate lunch. Freddy's dorms were just a few blocks away, and he figured he'd drop by to see if anyone wanted to grab some grub off- campus. There was only so much mac n' cheese and strawberry Jell-O one could take.  
  
His fourth floor dorm room was pretty standard, but littered with rock n' roll posters, the obligatory college dorm room trash, CDs, and notebooks filled with drum tabbing and sheet music. Prominently displayed above his bed was a poster-drawing of his four- man band, Dragging the Sky. He was drummer – of course, Joey was leader guitar...  
  
"Hey dude, you getting something from Carver's?"  
  
Lucas Brower, guitar and lead vocals. He had his hands buried in the pocket of his khakis, wearing the same rumpled sports jersey that Freddy saw him in at Birch's.  
  
"Yeah, man, I was just thinking of heading out," Freddy replied, gesturing down the hall towards the exit. Lucas nodded.  
  
"Cool, I'll go get the boys," he said. Freddy pounded his fist, and then walked into his dormitory. It was a mess – not that he cared. Luckily he didn't have to share it with anyone – someone who would get in the way and touch his stuff while he was out. He needed his space, and his parents hadn't thought twice about paying extra to give him his privacy. He dropped his stuff on his unmade bed and changed clothes, exchanging his dirty white button-down and tie from last night for a fresh short-sleeved black one, and gray khaki shorts. On his desk his answering machine blinked red. He pressed the "play" button.  
  
"Hello son, this is your father. Um, it's about 11:35 on Monday, April twelfth. I was just checking in. Your mother wants to know about your plans for spring break. We hope you haven't planned anything, because the Ludgates are having their annual spring party at the Madonna resort on Park Lake again. We promised that you would attend, and, as you may well guess, it would look very bad indeed for my business and our family if you did not make an appearance." At this, Freddy sighed and mentally sent a middle finger in the direction of the answering machine. "Also, I need to talk to you about the amount of money you lost us when you banged the Chevelle at that party. Don't even think about Cancun this year. You're going to spend the break paying off the damages and being with your family, not to mention meeting with Professor O'Neal about that transfer to Manhattan. I don't like you so far away from us where we can't keep an eye on you- "Freddy pressed the button to erase the message, effectively cutting off his father mid-sentence.  
  
This wasn't the first time his dad left an unwanted, fatherly message on his machine, Freddy thought as he muttered curses under his breath. It was same old, same old, nothing new. He'd lose his car, living privileges, college money or all of the above because his father was powerful enough to remove them from his possession, and he'd be forced to return home to Bergen County, New Jersey with his tail between his legs. His parents were always trying to control his life – and most of the time, if they couldn't do that, they found obscure ways to ruin it.  
  
"Hey," Scott Murray said, knocking as he entered. He played bass in Dragging the Sky. His dark hair was slicked back, and he had on some casual evening-ware, keys in his right hand. "Lucas said you were heading out. Carver's?"  
  
"That's what I was thinking," Freddy replied. He bypassed the mirror and simply ran his fingers through his wealth of sandy blond hair.  
  
"Good call," Scott replied. "Hey, you got a message on your machine," he said, gesturing to the still-blinking red light on the answering machine. Freddy turned from his brief self-grooming and pressed the "play" button.  
  
"Hey Jones, it's Zach. Man, haven't seen you in too long. Listen, I hear that Dewey's playing with The Scream some time in the next three weeks, so I figured we have a kind of 'School of Rock reunion'. I know he'd like that. I'm calling the rest of the band to see what they think. And hey, spring break isn't far, so how about meeting up? You know dude, at my uncle's boat-house in Long Island, like last year? How about next Wednesday, if you're not doin' anything. I don't know, call me back. We can jam. Later."  
  
"Who was that?" Scott asked. "Dude? Hey man, what's up?" Freddy had been staring at the answering machine first with a half-smile, and then it slowly dissolved into a focused, pursed-lipped stare.  
  
"What?" Freddy said, breaking away from his thoughts. "Oh," he managed to force out a small smile, "it's my old band, the one I was in all through grade school and part of high school. We haven't all seen each other since senior year ended. I haven't seen Zach in about eight months," Freddy said. His eyes were still glazed over, but lost their earlier hypnosis.  
  
"What is it, man?" Scott asked, confused.  
  
Freddy broke through his thoughts, and shrugged it off. "It's nothing. Just...good times," he said truthfully.  
  
"Cool, ready to go?" Scott began backing out into the hallway.  
  
"Yeah," Freddy responded as he grabbed his keys, and tried to push thoughts of an earlier, younger time out of his mind. With a final glance at the answering machine, he sucked in some air and pressed the button that erased his messages, making Zach's recording a memory. 


	3. Chapter Three

A week passed, and one day Katie Wagner woke up already wide awake, stopping Alice Cooper mid-song with a slap of her hand on the "off" button. Jumping out of bed, she quickly wiped her eyes and adjusted to the morning light, then traipsed across the room and skipping over Kel's new pile of biochemistry books that replaced her literature ones. She got her clothes ready, showered, and applied an extra bit of new makeup that she received from her sister a few weeks ago.  
  
When she came out of the shower for work, Kel was at the counter like she was the day before, already having run her usual three miles. Katie got a cup and drained some coffee from the brass cappuccino machine, but she barely got to blow on it for two seconds before Kel's staring at her made her pause. Katie tilted her head and looked at Kel expectantly.  
  
"What?" she asked quizzically.  
  
"You had sex, didn't you?" Kel blurted out. In a swift motion she flew forward and was at Katie's feet, her red curls bouncing. She began inspecting Katie with slightly amused hawk eyes.  
  
"What?!" Katie said, laughing, her eyes wide open.  
  
"You've got this strange glow about you, one that only comes after a night of sexual ecstasy," Kel concluded with a satisfied smirk on her face. Then she frowned. "Wait, you got home at like seven last night. What's up with that? Was it a quickie? Was he a bad kisser?" Kel said, nodding as if she completely related Katie's situation.  
  
Katie stood with her mouth gaping open, before her brain signals told her that she should start correcting her misunderstanding roommate.  
  
"Kel, no, no, no, I did not have sex," Katie protested. Kel didn't look convinced. "Kelly Armstead. Focus, OK? Katie. Me. No. Have. Sex," Katie said slowly, as if she were talking to a child. Kel nodded and went back to her newspaper and juice.  
  
"I heard you. But you're just lying, that's all," she said.  
  
"What? Kel, there's no one I would have sex with," she said. "It's not like my life is this testosterone-filled zone," Katie finished. Kel turned to her.  
  
"Well then what is it, girl? Because your cheeks are all a flush with some sort of pink hue. And I could've sworn your teeth have gotten four times whiter," Kel said. "What, did you win a free car or meet someone or something?"  
  
"No, of course not-"Katie said, before biting her lip and remembering Coffee Guy.  
  
"What, oh my God, you won a free car didn't you," Kel said excitedly. "Please say it's a mini-Cooper. Please. I just saw The Italian Job and I'm just dying for a mini-"  
  
"Kel. Calm down. No car, but, well..." Katie began.  
  
"Hello, on the edge of my seat, here, can we speed this cliffhanger up please?" Kel demanded excitedly.  
  
"It's nothing that big! There's just this really cute guy that goes where I work," Katie said innocently.  
  
"You little skank. Who is he?" Kel asked mischievously.  
  
"This guy I met at Starbucks. He asked me for a recommendation," she said, "and we've been having some small talk in between all the ordering and exchanging of money."  
  
"Katie, you, my dear, are a guy magnet. They seem to adore the silky, dark-haired, witty type with good taste in music. Remember all the parties we went to this year?" Katie blushed furiously, but smiled a little and hung her head. "You hit the dance floor, and ahem...the bed sheets with some serious Katie-worshipper-hotties," Kel said teasingly.  
  
"Not all those guys were worth it," Katie admitted. "And hey, that's none of your business. Even if we are roommates," Katie said seriously.  
  
"Well, regardless," Kel went on, holding up two hands in defense. "I, for one, am hardly surprised. Guys like ya, hon," Kel said. She stepped back to look at Katie. "Hmm, let's examine you. Let's see, white tank top, white short-sleeve, brown skirt, loafers. OK, let's make that a peasant shirt," Kel said, jumping around the counter and reaching through her drawers. She finally found it and flung it in Katie's direction.  
  
"Yeah?" Katie asked, propping the shirt up against her chest.  
  
"Yeah," said Kel. "Much better. Go put it on," she said.  
  
Katie did, and after saying a quick goodbye to Kel, was out the door in a few minutes' flat. She crossed the hallway and took the stairs to the bottom floor of her apartment. One bus and three miles later she was walking up to the doors of Starbucks.  
  
The first person she saw was Talia, who was cleaning the tables with a rag and placing the chairs around them. When she saw Katie she gave a wave.  
  
"Hey Wagner, you're on time today," she said. Katie grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Uh, what happened to 'new girl'? I was getting kind of used to that," Katie said.  
  
"Ah, and she's funny, too. Help me with some of these tables, huh?" she said, shoving a rag into Katie's hand and her signature Starbucks- green apron in the other. Katie wiped down the remainder of the tables with Talia. Then they opened the doors.  
  
Katie had gone through about ten customers, before she saw Coffee Guy open the door and walk towards the counter with a smile.  
  
"Hey," he said.  
  
"Hey," she replied. "Same?"  
  
"You know it," he said, already getting his money out.  
  
"How'd that literature test go?" she asked, as she began making his drink.  
  
"I got a B, actually," he answered. "Which is great for me, because I suck at that kind of stuff. Couldn't write to save my own life," he said affably. She grinned.  
  
"It's a solid grade," she said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," he smiled a little and quirked his nose. He was a great-looking guy in a rugged, masculine way. When he smiled, he looked like he meant it.  
  
Katie saw him focus on an open-mike sign that she'd posted next to the register.  
  
"You should go to that, it looks like it's going to be good," she said. He looked from it back to her.  
  
"Yeah? You know...I think I might," he said.  
  
"Really?" she asked. She placed a lid on top of his drink, and took his money.  
  
"Yeah. I'm not really an open-mike kind of person. My turf's more on the lacrosse field or the soccer field..."  
  
"Wait, you play lacrosse?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"Yeah. Do you?" he asked, immediately excited. She grinned and looked down.  
  
"No...not even close. But it's just, when I first saw you..." A blush clouded her cheeks and she tried to cover it up. "This is going to sound so stupid," she said.  
  
"No, what?" he asked.  
  
"Well when I first saw you, I was like 'He looks like the type to play LAX'," she said. He laughed.  
  
"Really? Am I that predictable?" he said, smiling.  
  
"Oh it's not that!" she said, berating herself. "It was a good thing. Definitely," she said.  
  
"Really," he said.  
  
"Yeah," she said, somehow finding it hard to look away, yet she felt slightly embarrassed, as well.  
  
"Hey, Wagner! New girl! Whatever, hey there are OTHER customers here, too!" Benito called from the back room.  
  
"Damn..." Katie muttered, flashing him a look.  
  
"Hey listen, I'll come, tonight. For open-mike night. And I'm Jimmy, by the way," he said.  
  
"Katie," she replied, a little stunned. They shook hands.  
  
"See you at 7," he left, picking up his order.  
  
"At 7," she repeated.  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! Love you guys! BTW, I am a "dudette", hehe. I'm sorry this part was short, but I'm kind of setting some stuff up...so I can't wait to keep going. This story is coming along slowly but surely. I've taken your comments into consideration and have come up with some cool ideas. So thanks! That doesn't mean you should put tons of suggestions about what I should do in every post, but it does give me something to think about while I write, so I keep your messages in mind. Thanks again, and tune in! 


	4. Chapter Four

Freddy sat at Anita's Restaurant the morning after, paper in one hand, and cell phone in the other. In front of him was his half-eaten breakfast: sausage, eggs, toast, and corned beef hash. The sound of the waves breaking over the hot, sandy beach was pleasant white noise in the back of his mind. The sky was a pale blue, and the heat was its signature Florida "sizzling". Already people were setting up blankets and umbrellas, and loading on the sunscreen for the inevitable hot rays.  
  
He yawned tiredly, and ran some fingers through his dirty blond hair. The night before Freddy had gone out with some guys to Carver's, which was the best excuse for shooting pool and getting wasted. He'd hoped he would jam with the band after they went out, but by everyone's final shots, he knew it would be hopeless. It was 4 in the morning, some guys took off with their women, and one fight had broken out. Five whiskey glasses had been broken. The night was over.  
  
And so Freddy had to face everything that sober reality brought him the next morning. He didn't have a class – it was a Saturday - but woke up with the sun and decided to haul ass out of bed for once. So he took a quick drive over to Milner's Dove, about an hour from Orlando. It was the haven of beaches and calm, retired folk, and would wake him up comfortably. The haven comprised seaside, pink marble resorts and endless arrays of fountains and gated communities. Wealth dripped in shiny gold and florid Meccas of wine and tropical flowers. So here he sat, in a rather cute locale just next to the shoreline, pretending to peruse through the paper, while his mind was really on whether or not he should return Zach's call.  
  
On one hand...everything. He left behind School of Rock that long ago day in June. That graduation day, he let something go. It was hard, but it was over. Those people had been his friends since third grade, when he'd first come to Horace Green and gotten in trouble from Day One, but they were seniors in high school...soon to be college freshman, and they were moving away. He had to sever his ties.  
  
On the other hand, if Zach was calling the rest of School of Rock, he was bound to get some sort of call from one of the other members at some point. If it was Tomika with her "Boy, whatch you doin'? We gotta have a reunion! I'll stick those drumsticks down your throat!" it would be Billy with his "Frederick, it's simply going to be fantastic! You must come! If you don't I will hex you until orange becomes the new silver!" Freddy sighed.  
  
"Oh fuck it," Freddy said. His head hurt just thinking about it. It was one call. It wouldn't be the end of the world. He dialed Zach's number quickly, still had it by heart, and waited while it rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Freddy started at the sound of his long lost best friend's voice.  
  
"Hey...man," Freddy said, his voice cracking.  
  
"Freddy Jones?" Zach's distinctly deep voice resonated from the other end.  
  
"Yeah...," Freddy replied awkwardly. It had only been eight months, and yet it felt like eight years had passed.  
  
"How have you been?" Zach asked.  
  
"I've been all right. The weather's been great...you know, classes suck and everything." Freddy winced; he was talking about the weather to a guy he'd known since they were learning about fractions.  
  
"How's your band?"  
  
Freddy smiled a little at that, though. Zach was still 100% musically- oriented.  
  
"Great," he replied, trying to sound enthusiastic even though his band had been getting wasted every night and barely practiced. "So hey, I got your call..."  
  
"Oh yeah! I was wondering when you'd return it. So what do you think?"  
  
The question hung in the air a bit before Freddy responded.  
  
"It's a great idea. I'm just...it's going to be kind of strange, seeing everyone again, won't it?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's about time, don't you think? I miss you guys. It sucks ass being here all by myself. I don't know what's happening with everyone. Last I heard, Michelle got some amazing job at her latest audition. She's playing like some Scarlett O'Hara role, very dramatic. And Lawrence has been at Julliard and touring some on the side. Makes my sorry existence seem hella boring," Zach said. Freddy laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I sure know how that is," he said.  
  
"So is Freddy the Ladies' Man still living up to his bad repute?" Zach joked. Freddy snorted.  
  
"Shut up, Mooneyham..." he said, then paused. "It's not that great down here," he admitted.  
  
"What, you're not loving the Floridian women, wine, and sun?" Zach asked skeptically. "This coming from the guy that used to party like no other with me in our senior heyday." Freddy smirked a little. They had had good times.  
  
"No, man, I just...I'm bored by it all. I need to get out."  
  
"So, like I said in the call, we should hang. The boathouse. My parents and my uncle will be away, and they gladly handed over its keys to me two weeks ago. I have it all to myself, and I'm bored as a fucking monkey. C'mon, you know you want to," Zach said. He was right, Freddy thought, he really did.  
  
"What have the others said?" he asked, a slight edge in his voice. Zach didn't notice.  
  
"I called some of them up. Managed to get a hold of Michelle and Lawrence, like I said. They'll be here on Wednesday. Tomika, Eleni, and Billy can get here Friday." Freddy cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"What about the others? Marta, Summer, you know, Katie?" he asked.  
  
"Well, Miss Christina Aguilera and Posh Spice are hard to get a hold of these days. Summer said she'd come down in a week and a half, after her internship ends. I did get a hold of Katie's roommate. Kel, Kelly, something like that. She said Katie would call me back soon...so what do you think, man, are you in?" Zach asked.  
  
Freddy fidgeted, staring at the waves lapping over the shore, and the people passing through the restaurant and on the boardwalk. He heard a voice in his mind, something that pounded in his ears and caused a tight painful feeling in his chest.  
  
"I'm not the kind of girl that guys fall in love with..."  
  
"Jones? Hey? Cel-LO, are you coming or what?"  
  
Freddy shook the voice away.  
  
"Mooneyham...I think I'm in."  
  
Katie and Kel entered Starbucks at five o'clock that night, dressed in fine casual wear that they figured would suit the occasion. Katie wore slim-fitting black pants and a pale pink tank top, bangle bracelets dancing around her wrists. Kel, with her mass of fiery red hair, had scooped up the mermaid tresses into a chic, messy up-do. She wore a light cream jacket, a gray knit halter top, and jeans. The coffee shop was still buzzing at the hour. People milled around the couches and sofas that rested near the entrance. Others leaned against the walls or found tables and chairs. The entrancing scent of a coffee mélange spirited its way through and awakened every sensor in Katie's body. A mock stage had been set up across from the sofas. Chords, wires, and amps lay in a giant mass, and a lone microphone with its stand stood at the front-and-center.  
  
"Is he here yet?" Kel asked Katie into her ear as the din of voices rose.  
  
Katie scanned the crowd quickly, looking for a specifically nice- looking lacrosse player with warm eyes.  
  
"I don't see him," she said. She saw Talia standing at the back of the room, sipping on a mug. They locked eyes, and the prettily plump woman winked. "There's my boss. I'll introduce you," Katie said, tugging on Kel's wrist. They pushed their way to the back of the room. "Talia, hey," Katie greeted.  
  
"Hey Wagner. Glad you could make it. By the way, there's someone here for you," she said, gesturing to the back room. Katie's brow furrowed in mild confusion.  
  
"Who?" she asked.  
  
"Some Prince Charming or other. He's getting what he said you recommended to him, making it himself, too. Pretty impressive," Talia said, her eyes full of mirth.  
  
"What?" Katie asked, her eyes wide. She whirled around. Sure enough, there was Jimmy, in the back room and making his special drink, the one that she recommended, with some assistance from Benito. "Unbelievable," Katie said, smiling though. "Anyways, Talia, this is my fellow troublemaker and roommate, Kelly Armstead," Katie said.  
  
"Nice to meet a friend of a friend," Talia said, shaking Kel's hand.  
  
"Likewise," Kel said, grinning. "As for you," Kel said, turning to Katie, "go what you came here for."  
  
"God, Kel, you're embarrassing me," Katie laughed, blushing, but she walked over to behind the counter.  
  
"Hey," she said, leaning against the door to the backroom. Jimmy had just finished his drink.  
  
"Hey, your boy is a natural. He should be working here with us," Benito said, poking Jimmy in the chest and walking off.  
  
"Sorry about that," Katie said when Benito was out of range.  
  
"It's fine," Jimmy smiled. "I sort of got the hang of it. But you make it a lot better. I don't see how you guys can churn these things out so fast. It took me almost ten minutes to make this one, and it wasn't even very good," he said, taking a quick sip.  
  
"I bet it's good, let me try," she said. She reached for a straw, stuck it in the frothy mix, and their hands touched. There wasn't electricity or fireworks or things like that that you get in the movies. But there was warmth. After her sip she shrugged.  
  
"It's great! You should work here."  
  
"Then I'd get to see you more."  
  
His statement stuck in the air like a cloud before either of them addressed it. Katie suddenly found it hard to look at him, and instead focused on the pastries lined up behind the display case.  
  
"Yeah..." she said, blushing furiously. She started laughing at that moment, for no reason, and found it hard to stop.  
  
"Uh oh, this can't be good. I've never had a girl laugh after I told them I liked them."  
  
That cut her laughing short.  
  
"Is it supposed to be this awkward?" she asked, finding herself wondering if she was in some sort of movie where everything everyone did was clichéd and awkward and celluloid cinema magic.  
  
"I don't know," he shrugged, and then took another sip of his drink. Katie looked at him when he said that. It was refreshing – 'I don't know'. She'd expected some sort of smooth line or winning catch phrase. But 'I don't know' was so honest and natural. For a girl who was required by her parents and her expectations of self to be so on top of things, the fact that for one second you weren't required to be in charge of a situation was appealing to her.  
  
"Yeah...neither do I," she said. She found Kel sitting in an empty sofa chair near the stage. "Hey, come on. I want you to meet my roommate," she said. He followed her to where Kel was sitting.  
  
"Kelly Armstead, meet Jimmy," she said. Kel, the Queen of Indiscretion, gave Katie a look that almost made Katie poke her in the elbow, but then held out her hand. Jimmy took it, and they shook.  
  
"Soooo nice to meet you, Jimmy. Do you have a last name? Or maybe some brothers?" Kel said, still holding his hand.  
  
"Kel-"Katie said, actually poking Kel in the elbow hard.  
  
"Ow!" Kel whispered.  
  
Jimmy laughed.  
  
"Sorry," Katie said, "can't take her anywhere. I just taught her table manners last night. Tomorrow she's learning to read," Katie joked, rolling her eyes at Kel.  
  
"It's all right!" he said. "Marlens, Jimmy Marlens. And yes, I have two brothers. But by law if you looked at them in any way other than 'just friends' you may make it to the slammer, so I don't know..." he said. Kel and Katie both laughed. That broke the ice.  
  
For the next fifteen minutes all three talked and laughed comfortably, with Kel and Katie filling in the history of their friendship to a very curious Jimmy. Many of his questions were geared towards Katie, who discussed where she grew up, what friends she had, Horace Green, School of Rock, and her college years.  
  
"You played in a band when you were only ten?" Jimmy asked, disbelievingly. Kel had gone up to help the maintenance crew with some more tech-work before the show began.  
  
"Yup!" Katie replied, her eyes shining, "and Kel's here to vouch for me. She's seen the pictures and everything. In fact," Katie looked down and rummaged through her purse, "I have a few right here," she said, pulling out her red faux-leather wallet, which housed a whole collection of pictures. She handed them over to Jimmy, who looked at them eagerly.  
  
"That's the band?" Jimmy asked, gesturing to a picture of School of Rock in their early days.  
  
"Yeah...we played at Battle of the Band with our teacher, Mr. S. He actually wasn't a teacher but was pretending to be a sub, and ended up converting our puritanical little fifth grade class into a really kickass band. We lost, but won over the audience. And that's how it all began," Katie said. Jimmy turned to look at her, but she wasn't returning his gaze. She was staring into her coffee, and her voice had taken on a sentimental tone. Just as he was going to ask her about it, she brightened up and regained her cheery, eager look. "So yeah, we continued it through high school...at least, everyone else did..."  
  
Jimmy caught her insinuation.  
  
"What about you?" he asked.  
  
"My parents wouldn't let me. I was forced to quit at the beginning of eleventh grade. They thought it was a distraction. So, I put away my bass, and never played again," she said, shrugging. Jimmy noticed that though she maintained a rather cool exterior, much time and energy had gone into feeling this way when she spoke of what she gave up. She'd practiced it, like she practiced her music, so when she said it aloud, she wouldn't be hurt.  
  
"Are you OK?" he asked quietly. She was staring into her coffee again. She looked up.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. He gave her a reassuring smile.  
  
"So, I hope this is good," he said, meaning the mock stage and open mike.  
  
"Can you sing?" she asked.  
  
"Not well," he admitted sheepishly.  
  
"Kel can, damn her," Katie joked.  
  
"Why don't you join her, when they're done setting up," Jimmy suggested.  
  
On any other night, Katie would've probably turned it down with a smile. But why not, right?  
  
"OK, I'll do it," she said. 


	5. Chapter Five

Katie woke up on Sunday with Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young pounding in her head from the karaoke night before. She and Kel had sung the night away, sans alcohol, and Jimmy had even sung along with them – as long as the songs were fun and happy works by Billy Joel or Phil Collins that were somewhat kitschy and entertaining but not very seriously hard rock or Mariah Carey, either. Her mass of wavy dark hair hung limply around her face, and she was dead tired, even though it was about nine o'clock in the morning. However, she also felt positively euphoric.  
  
Kelly, the good roommate that she was, left early from the coffeehouse last night, and left Jimmy and Katie to have the night to themselves. They departed from Starbucks not long after that, choosing to walk around the city a little bit, dip into Central Park, and explore some of the nightlife. They talked some more about music (Katie was somewhat humorously disappointed in Jimmy's interest in rap, while Jimmy learned more of Katie's hard-rock infatuation), and movies and movie stars, before delving into serious topics. Katie told Jimmy all about her life at Horace Green and high school, and she learned that Jimmy had lived in Wisconsin before moving to New York City with his brother. They'd been living in the city for four years now, and Jimmy went to Manhattan University.  
  
"You?" he asked.  
  
"NYU," she said.  
  
"Wow, number one school in the country. What's your major?" he asked.  
  
"English Lit.," she said.  
  
"No music?" he wondered jokingly.  
  
"Unfortunately, no...no more music," she said.  
  
Katie led Jimmy back to her apartment, and she'd waited by the door. Usually, every other guy had breezed past her straight for her room, and the bedroom, and she'd become used to following them up without a word. But Jimmy stood on the sidewalk, watching her, before she stepped forward. He wasn't going to come up. And she wasn't going to ask.  
  
"So, I guess this is it," she said.  
  
"Yeah," he said. Before she could speak, he had stepped forward in a swift motion, and kissed her very lightly on the lips. The soft pressure felt good, but before she knew it, it was gone. "I'll see you around," he said, stepping back, giving her a shy smile. She returned his gaze and waved.  
  
"Bye."  
  
And he disappeared in the darkness.  
  
"Katie!" Kel woke Katie out of her brief reverie from her position behind the counter. "By the way, I forget to mention to you last night, on Friday someone called here. Zach Mooneyham, from School of Rock. He wants you to call back ASAP, and he left his number," she said. She was perusing the news, as per usual, and drinking orange juice. Katie stumbled over to the counter, and saw Kel's scrawled handwriting on a napkin: Zach Mooneyham, cell number and home number.  
  
"Zach Mooneyham?" she said sleepily, still wiping her eyes. "What's he calling for?"  
  
"He wants a reunion, I think he said," Kel said, eyes still glued to the front page news.  
  
"A reunion?" Katie said, clumsily stepping forward on a barstool as she awakened more and more by the second. "Why?"  
  
"I don't know...why don't you ask HIM, instead of grilling ME," Kel said good-naturedly. "By the way, you were right, Coffee Guy is a cutie- patootie," Kel said, smiling and giving Katie a thumbs-up.  
  
"His name is Jimmy, as you heard last night," Katie said, grabbing her regular cup of coffee from the cappuccino machine.  
  
"Mrs. Katherine Marlens...I think it has a nice ring to it, what do you think?" Kel said grandly.  
  
"Shut up," Katie said, laughing. "We haven't even had a first date yet."  
  
"Ugh, like it matters!" Kel said.  
  
"Which it does! These things take time," Katie said, blowing on her steaming mug.  
  
"Well not too much time, I hope. I don't want to be in a wheelchair at your wedding," Kel said.  
  
"Right," Katie laughed. When Kel resumed reading the newspaper, Katie still had the napkin in her hand. "Zach Mooneyham," she muttered under her breath as she headed for the shower.  
  
  
  
What the fuck am I doing?  
  
That was the only question that kept reverberating in Freddy's mind early Friday (nearly a week and a half since he'd called Zach at Anita's) as he put the finishing touches into his packed suitcase. He stood in the middle of his floor, which was covered nearly in an inch in every direction with clothes, DVDs, and trash. Of course Freddy didn't bother packing a few nights before...that wasn't his way. To be honest, he wasn't sure he was even going to go. After calling Zach, he briefly thought about calling him back and canceling, but he decided against it. If he didn't go, he'd be dripping with guilt for the next three years of his life, and probably beyond that if and when he did meet up with School of Rock at some point down the road. And going wouldn't be that awkward. Or painful. Or...  
  
Freddy stopped himself from going down that road. That little twist tugging at his heart hurt too much.  
  
Instead, he continued digging though his massive pile of crap and began sticking them into his suitcase three at a time. One group of shirts, some shorts, long pants, cargoes, boxers, and toiletries from his dorm bathroom went in his black traveling case. He brought along his Ipod, scanned the room briefly, and locked his door.  
  
The hallway was fairly empty, except for some kids near the end trying to move heavy cardboard boxes across the floor. The Orlando sunlight was streaming through the windows at each end of the dormitory hallways. Freddy started to tug his belongings behind him as he made his way down the stairway. On his way down the second flight of stairs, Joey Keatings made an appearance in all his glory.  
  
His jet-black hair was gelled straight to the side, and he wore a red Motorhead t-shirt that was probably a size too small for him. His backpack was slung over his left shoulder, and he wore that signature grin on his face.  
  
"Back to the Big Apple, Jones?" he asked.  
  
Freddy continued walking, but replied, "Yeah. Friend in Long Island. You heading out to Cancun?" he asked halfheartedly. He'd much rather be going to Cancun – with all its tequila, topless beaches, and spicy atmosphere. Plus, his parents would have three aneurysms a piece if they knew he were there. Long Island wasn't half as salacious a rebellion. But it would have to do.  
  
"Si, senor. Too bad you couldn't be there, man. We'll send you a postcard! And when spring break is over, maybe we can jam..." he heard Joey's voice trail off as Freddy hit the first floor landing.  
  
"All right!" Freddy yelled back up, but scoffed. Dragging the Sky was floundering, big time. The band hadn't practiced in forever, the guys were getting wasted every night. Freddy wanted to say something, but got the feeling that it wouldn't help. They would have one practice, suck big time, and go back to the endless parties, socials, midnight debaucheries, and formals that lined the calendar. Ironically, the band's state of emotional inertia only made Freddy less eager to play. Maybe the reunion would do something about that.  
  
As he loaded his stuff into his car in the Terrence University parking lot, his gaze behind his shades scanned the setting, soaking in the sunkissed goldenness of Florida. Despite its beauty, he found himself surprised to feel that he was glad to be leaving. The tugging in his solar plexus grew, but instead of pain, it began to feel pleasant inside of him. He shut the trunk and peeled out, the Chevelle squealing as he shifted from park to drive quickly. Scott Murray would pick up his car from the airport; Freddy would leave the keys at the front desk of check-in, and would catch the next plane out to New York City.  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
A/N: OK guys, that's about all I can do for a few more days. Exams are coming, and they bite! Take it easy on me. I'm still sticking with this story. Have a little faith, and be patient. 


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